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The House of Representatives on Wednesday, February 21, asked the Council of Legal Education to put in abeyance, the recent 60 percent increase in the school fees of the Nigeria Law School.
Adopting a motion by the Minority Leader of the House, Kingsley Chinda and read on his behalf by Ginger Owusibe, the House asked its relevant committees on Justice and Tertiary Education and Services to explore solutions to the issue at hand and report back within two weeks.
Chinda described the Nigerian Law School as the medium through which the Council of Legal Education discharges its function to regulate the legal education of persons seeking to become members of the legal profession as provided for under Section 1(2) of the Legal Education (Consolidation, etc.) Act Cap. L10, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
He said the function of the Council of Legal Education to oversee legal education in Nigeria includes deciding the cost of tuition and other services rendered to students of the Nigerian Law School.
He stressed that Nigeria is currently facing a 27.33% inflation rate, as reported by the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics, which is projected by Trade Economics to rise to 30.00% by December 2023.
He however expressed concern that in exercising its functions, the Council of Legal Education has approved a 60% increase in Nigerian law school fees from ₦296,000. 00 to ₦476,000 for the 2023/2024 Bar Part II academic session.
He said further that the 2023–2024 Bar Part II Academic session commenced in January 2024 with no time given to prospective students to raise the balance.
He warned that failure to promptly address the need for a balance between the Council’s service quality and students’ affordability could result in a significant drop in Nigerian law school enrollment.
According to him, this, in turn, would lead to fewer lawyers being called to the Bar, ultimately contributing to a higher national unemployment rate among those unable to pursue legal careers.
The National Chairman of the Labour Party, Mr Julius Abure, has been reportedly arrested by security operatives in Edo State.
Abure was arrested on Wednesday, a few days before the party’s primary election in Edo State.
Details later…
[Punch]
The presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has asked the Federal Government to end the inconsistency in duty charges by the Nigeria Customs Service.
Obi made this call in a statement via his verified X (formerly Twitter) handle on Wednesday.
The Labour Party leader said the inconsistency in duty charges is affecting the general business atmosphere in the country.
He warned that if this situation is not corrected, importers in the country may resort to using the ports of nearby countries, a situation that he noted will leave the Nigerian ports underproductive and further deepen the economy into a worse situation as a result of loss of revenue.
Obi said, “I wish to urgently call on the Federal Government of Nigeria to end the inconsistency in duty charges as it is affecting the general business atmosphere in the country.
“The federal government should stop the arbitrary and ever-increasing customs duties as it is now negatively impacting businesses and the cost of items, and this portends a huge danger to the economy.
“A situation where at the point of initiating importation, Form M and other documents related to importation are based on a particular rate of exchange, for example, N1000 to $1, being the prevailing exchange rate at the time which the importer of goods was used to calculate the entire process, from the import initiation to receipt of goods in his warehouse.
“Then suddenly when the goods arrive in Nigeria, and duties are calculated at different rates, say N1400 to $1, it becomes a serious business challenge that results in business losses.
“Worse still, it directly fuels the inflationary spike which is the basis of increasing cost of goods and living. Such arbitrary charges will obviously lead to further closure of businesses, and attendant job losses.
“This is because at the time of the initiation of the business, calculations, including duties, have been made based on the prevailing exchange rate, and the prevailing market prices.
“If this situation is not corrected, our importers may resort to using ports of nearby countries, a situation that will leave our ports under-productive, and further deepen our economy into a worse situation as a result of loss of revenue.”
The former Anambra State Governor also advised the government to show consistency in its policies as this will help with economic forecasting and business planning.
He said that businesses are dying, and manufacturers are shutting down because of the poor and inconsistent economic policies of the government.
Obi stated, “All efforts of the government should be directed at supporting businesses, especially those in the manufacturing sector, to keep their businesses afloat and keep the economy growing, as the small business sector remains the most critical engine of economic growth.
“We cannot afford to target high customs revenues at the expense of the survival of local businesses, employment and reasonable cost of living.”
In a dramatic turn of events, Godwin Emefiele, the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has accused the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, of making defamatory statements against him.
The accusations stem from comments purportedly made by the Senate President at an event, which Emefiele claims have unjustly maligned his character and portrayed him as the root cause of Nigeria’s current economic challenges.
During the televised remarks, the Senate President suggested that the government was at a loss for what charges to bring against Emefiele, citing potential accusations ranging from causing economic turmoil to illegal possession of firearms and unauthorised printing of currency.
These remarks have sparked controversy and drawn attention to the former CBN governor’s ongoing legal battles, where he has pleaded not guilty and is actively defending his innocence.
Matthew Burkaa, SAN, legal representative for Emefiele, stated in a letter addressed to the Senate President, a copy of which was obtained by Vanguard in Abuja on Wednesday, that the former CBN governor considers these statements false, distorted, and made in bad faith. The statements were deemed to be aimed at disparaging his character.
The letter demanded an immediate retraction of the statement, a written apology, and the payment of twenty-five billion naira (N25,000,000,000) as compensation for the alleged defamation.
The legal team argued that the Senate President’s comments not only undermine the integrity of the judiciary by commenting on a matter currently under legal review but also fail to acknowledge Emefiele’s contributions to the Nigerian economy.
They highlighted his role in introducing banking sector innovations and his efforts in addressing the P&ID Saga, which had positive outcomes for Nigeria.
Furthermore, the letter emphasised that no policy was enacted under Emefiele’s tenure without the approval or directive of the President and the Federal Executive Council, of which Akpabio was a key member. This point underscored the complexity of attributing the country’s economic woes solely to Emefiele.
The letter read in full: “We are Solicitors to Dr. Godwin Ifeanyi Emefiele, the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (hereinafter referred to as “Our Client”), on whose brief and instruction, we write this letter to you as follows:
“Our Client’s attention has been drawn to a widely circulated statement made by you against him on Channels Television on or about the 18th February, 2024 which he considers false, distorted and clearly aimed at disparaging his character and indeed made in bad faith. The said statement is contained in a video and was made by you to a large gathering of persons and circulated globally via uncountable online media. The statement which has now gone viral had this heading attached to its preface ”we don’t know what crime to charge emefiele with” in the video, you stated clearly and unequivocally, among other things, as follows:
‘So the kind of debt and the kind of economic mess that we are in, a lot of people do not understand, I remember President Obama saying you cannot know Washington until you get to Washington. So by the time we went in to look at the economic state of the country it was terrible, so the Former Governor of Central of Bank of Nigeria we didn’t even know what to charge him, whether to charge him for putting foam on the … or to charge him for illegal possession of Fire Arms or to Charge him for printing notes without income, I don’t know what we are going to charge him with. But, what I know is that, yes there is hunger today because of the policies that they took.’
“The above statement, whether taken in their ordinary, figurative or literal meaning portrayed Our Client as:
“The cause of the entire hardship in Nigeria today is as a result of the policies of the previous administration.
“A serial offender whose action is responsible for all the hardship experienced by Nigerians today.
“A person who has committed offences that are so numerous that the government is confused as to which of the offences to prefer a charge against him.
“Your Excellency, as the President of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, you certainly know, or have reasons to know that the Federal Government of Nigeria had since the 14th August, 2023 preferred Charges against Our Client to which he had long pleaded not guilty and is presently defending same to exonerate himself and show that he is not guilty of the said allegations.
“It is therefore disturbing, that such a statement would be made by the Head of the Legislature of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on a matter that is clearly subjudice. Your statement, with the greatest respect, clearly undermines the honour and integrity of the Court and its independence and indeed has the propensity of prejudicing the case against Our Client. Having submitted to the jurisdiction of the Court, it is only fair and proper that the Court should be allowed to determine the issues submitted to it without unnecessary pressure from any other arm of Government.
“Secondly Sir, as a Senior member of the Bar, a former Governor of a State, A Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and former Minister under the immediate past Administration, Your statement attributing the present economic woes of the country solely on Our Client is most appalling and exposes the inaccuracies in Your assertions, especially, as you were a major player in the immediate Past Administration and worked closely with Our Client and indeed witnessed the innovations he introduced in the banking sector and its impact on the economy whilst in office, as well as the role he played despite all odds in salvaging Nigeria in the P & ID Saga and the positive result it brought for Nigeria.
“You are also aware that no single policy was carried out by Our Client without the approval, directive or authorization of the President and/or the Federal Executive Council of which you were a key and powerful member.
“It is pursuant to the above and without delving into the matter presently pending in Court that Our Client has instructed that we write to Your good offices and demand the immediate retraction of Your statement which has gone viral and are considered clearly defamatory of Our Client
“These baseless and false allegations clearly defames the character of Our Client and has also caused him great pains and embarrassment as it has lowered his esteem before the right thinking members of the Society in addition to the obvious odium and opprobrium from the unsuspecting members of the Society as a result of the falsity contained in that statement.
“We therefore have Our Client’s further instruction to demand from you an unreserved apology in writing, published and circulated by the same medium with which you have defamed his character and the sum of Twenty-Five Billion Naira (N25,000,000,000) as reasonable compensation for the willful and unjustifiable denigration of his hard earned reputation. In the event that you fail, refuse or neglect to comply with this legitimate demand, Our Client will be at liberty to seek the appropriate redress available to him under the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“Whilst anticipating your compliance with the above, kindly accept the assurances of our best regards.”
The demand for a retraction and apology, coupled with the substantial compensation claim, has raised eyebrows across the nation, putting the spotlight on the role of past and present high-ranking officials in Nigeria’s economic health.
The immediate-past Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Godwin Emefiele, has vowed to sue the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, for alleged defamation.
The Senate president had at Senator Barinada Mpigi’s thanksgiving service in Koroma, Tai Local Government Area, Rivers State on February 18, stated that President Bola Tinubu’s administration did not know the crime to charge Emefiele with.
He added that the President inherited an economic mess from the former CBN governor.
However, in a letter through his lawyer, Mathew Burkaa (SAN), addressed to Akpabio, Emefiele demanded an apology in written form and published in the media or be slammed with a N25bn lawsuit.
In the letter dated February 19 and a copy which was sighted by our correspondent on Wednesday, Emefiele claimed that the interpretation of the senate president’s comment meant that he is a serial offender whose action is responsible for all the hardship experienced by Nigerians.
The letter partly read, “We are solicitors to Dr. Godwin Ifeanyi Emefiele, the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (hereinafter referred to as “Our Client”), on whose brief and instruction, we write this letter. The above statement, whether taken in their ordinary, figurative, or literal meaning portrayed our Client as:
“The cause of the entire hardship in Nigeria today is as a result of the policies of the previous administration.
“A serial offender whose action is responsible for all the hardship experienced by Nigerians today.
“A person who has committed offences that are so numerous that the government is confused as to which of the offences to prefer a charge against him.”
Emefiele noted that the comments of the senate president undermined the integrity of the court and its independence, adding that it was detrimental to his ongoing trial.
He said, “As the President of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, you certainly know, or have reasons to know that the Federal Government of Nigeria had since August 14, 2023, preferred charges against our client to which he had long pleaded not guilty and is presently defending same to exonerate himself and show that he is not guilty of the said allegations. It is therefore disturbing, that such a statement would be made by the Head of the Legislature of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on a matter that is clearly subjudice.
“Your statement, with the greatest respect, clearly undermines the honour and integrity of the Court and its independence and indeed has the propensity of prejudicing the case against Our Client. Having submitted to the jurisdiction of the Court, it is only fair and proper that the Court should be allowed to determine the issues submitted to it without unnecessary pressure from any other arm of Government.”
The former CBN governor also noted as a minister in the last administration, attributing the parlous economic situation to him was appalling.
He added that without the approval of the President and/or the Federal Executive Council of he was a key and powerful member, he could have done nothing on his own.
Emefiele said, “Secondly Sir, as a Senior member of the Bar, a former Governor of a State, A Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and a former Minister under the immediate past Administration, Your statement attributing the present economic woes of the country solely on Our Client is most appalling and exposes the inaccuracies in Your assertions, especially, as you were a major player in the immediate Past Administration and worked closely with Our Client and indeed witnessed the innovations he introduced in the banking sector and its impact on the economy whilst in office, as well as the role he played despite all odds in salvaging Nigeria in the P & ID Saga and the positive result it brought for Nigeria.
“You are also aware that no single policy was carried out by Our Client without the approval, directive, or authorization of the President and/or the Federal Executive Council of which you were a key and powerful member.”
He called on the senate president to immediately retract his statement which had gone viral or risk being sued.
Emefiele said, “It is pursuant to the above and without delving into the matter presently pending in Court that Our Client has instructed that we write to Your good offices and demand the immediate retraction of Your statement which has gone viral and is considered defamatory of Our Client
“These baseless and false allegations defame the character of Our Client and have also caused him great pains and embarrassment as it has lowered his esteem before the right-thinking members of the Society in addition to the obvious odium and opprobrium from the unsuspecting members of the Society as a result of the falsity contained in that statement.
“We, therefore have Our Client’s further instruction to demand from you an unreserved apology in writing, published and circulated by the same medium with which you have defamed his character, and the sum of N25,000,000,000 as reasonable compensation for the willful and unjustifiable denigration of his hard-earned reputation. If you fail, refuse, or neglect to comply with this legitimate demand, Our Client will be at liberty to seek the appropriate redress available to him under the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
RE: Communique At the End of The National Executive Council (NEC) Meeting of The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Held on Friday, The 16th Day of February 2024
AdminNATIONWIDE PROTEST AGAINST THE TINUBU REGIME IS LONG OVERDUE!
- We support the decision of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to embark on a 2-day mass protest
- We call on the TUC and other labour affiliates to mobilize and join the protest
- Tinubu must stop attack on the working people
- For 200,000 minimum wage Now
The Revolutionary Socialist Movement (RSM) backs the decision of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to embark on a 2-day nationwide warning protest against the rising cost of living, insecurity and other anti-people policies of the Tinubu-led Federal Government. We believe a nationwide protest of this is long overdue and we call on the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and other affiliate unions to immediately join and commence mobilizing for a total, comprehensive and massive protest on the 27th and 28th of February.
The resolution of the NEC meeting of the NLC held on Friday 16th of February to embark on this strike is well-deserving and long overdue. In fact, we believe the protest action should have commenced after the removal of the fuel subsidy and floating of Naira. As we warned during those periods, the economic policies of the Tinubu regime will bring nothing but more hardship on the mass of the working people. The economic crisis of Nigeria did not just start today. The origin of the current crisis can be linked to the successive capitalist governments of the country that have incessantly looted the collective wealth of people, privatized the commanding heights of the economy and subjected economic decisions to the recommendations of the world imperialists.
We also support the other resolutions of the NLC, especially with the commencement of an indefinite strike action if the government fails to meet the demands of the workers. We call on the NLC to start making plans for this indefinite strike as the Tinubu-led FG has no magic to perform in a few days. The NLC should be wary of all forms of romance and cosmetic measures of the FG to avert the strike action. Even, we have seen during this same Tinubu regime how he has used Court Order to impede the constitutional right of the the Congress. Hence, the NLC must be prepared for all these tactics of the FG.
Similarly, the past few days have recorded protest breakouts in several parts of Nigeria including Niger State, Kano State, Lagos State, and Oyo State, to mention but a few. These are testaments to the fact that people are ready to hit the street. The role of the NLC is to provide the necessary leadership and direction for the people. Even, the protest actions have the potential to grow into larger, interconnected ones without the intervention of the Labour front. Hence, we charge the Trade Union Congress and other affiliate unions to rise to the duty and lead the people to freedom, emancipation and progress.
The labour leaders should fight for full payment of wage award of 35,000 to all categories of workers both in the public and private sectors. The labour leaders must prepare to lead protracted struggle against the state governors that have received huge sum of palliative but refused to share and even pay workers wage award.
In the same vein, the TUC President, Festus Osifo, must have realized how wrong he was to support the removal of subsidy and Naira devaluation policy (according to Vanguard Newspaper, June 16 2023). The policy he supported has been hunting millions of Nigerians, collapsing thousands of small businesses, and causing a surge inflation of goods and services. We believe this is an opportunity to show remorse and re-commitment towards fighting, side by side with the working people, against policies that will further wreak havoc on the masses of the people.
To us in the Revolutionary Socialist Movement, the leadership of the Labour movement must provide clear demands and lead the people to achieve those demands. We propose that the NLC and TUC should, together with the demand for a living minimum wage of at least N200,000, link the struggle to the return of a well-monitored subsidy scheme on the PMS, reversal of all hiked fees at public tertiary institutions, renationalization of the power and petroleum sector and so on.
All of these events are clear indications that the Labour Movement needs to initiate the building of a genuine mass working people’s political party or reclaim the existing Labour Party with a revolutionary programme and method to wrestle power from the thieving elite, backward capitalist ruling elite and establish a workers and poor people’s government armed with socialist programmes. Such a socialist government will ensure the human and material resources of the country are used on the basis of socialist planning for the benefit of all and the genuine development of the society.
Kayode Salako
Publicity Secretary
For RSM
The 181-megawatt Geometric Power plant in the Osisioma Industrial Layout of Aba in Abia State will now be commissioned on Monday, February 26, 2024, according to a statement by the company’s management issued just now.
The plant was originally scheduled for inauguaration on Saturday, February 24, by President Bola Tinubu.
The new date was chosen by The Presidency in Abuja due to what insider sources described as unexpected developments.
The president will commission the 188-MW thermal plant alongside Aba Power Ltd which will take electricity from the new plant and supply to nine of the 17 local governement areas in Abia State.
Reacting to the decision to postpone the long-awaited commissioning to Monday, an energy consultant in Lagos, Engineer Cliff Eneh who was a senior manager with the defunct National Electric Power of Nigeria (NEPA), after serving as a senior engineer with the Texa Power and Light Corporation in the United States, said this morning: “A 48-hour difference is not significant.
“We are proud of the support the Federal Governemnt has of late been giving to the Geometric Power integrated company, the only group in Nigeria that will generate and distribute its own power; other power firms either generate or distribute but do not get involved in both”.
Described as the biggest investment in the Southeast, Geometric Power has spent some $800 million dollars on its integrated power project, which includes building a 27-kilometre natural gas pipeline from Owaza in Ukwa west LGA in Abia State to the Osisioma Industrial Layout in Aba.
“We have, in addition, installed 150,000 kilometres of cables and wires and installed four new power substations as well as refurbished three others inherited from the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN”, explained Ben Caven, a former NEPA Executive Director famous for leading Transmission, Generation and Engineering Divisions simulatenously in the former state-owned power utility.
Caven is now the Managing Director of Geometric Power Ltd.
Patrick Umeh, a former executive with the Los Angeles Water and Light in the United States who later served as Commissioner in-charge of Markets, Market Rates and Competition at the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), described the tibular poles mounted by Geometric Power in Aba and the environs as “incomparable in Africa.
“Only in cities like Tokyo and San Francisco in California you have facilities of this quality and sizes.
“Much as they are very tall, as all of us can see, the tubular poles here are actually about 10 meters deep.
“In other words, in the unlikely event of a natural disaster like earthquake in Aba or the environs, Aba Power and the Geometric Group will still be able to supply electricity to its numerous customers”.
The Geometric Power Group was founded by Professor Bart Nnaji, a globally respected academic engineer in the United Staetes, who has been Nigeria’s Minister of Science and Technology and later Minister of Power.
Nnaji embarked on the integrated project after then World Bank President James Wolfensohn and then Nigeria’s Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala visted Aba on March 17, 2004, and discovered that the greatest challenge facing both large-scale and medioum-scale industrialists in Aba, reputed to be the centre of indigenous manufacturing in Nigeria, is epileptic power supply.
Both Wolfensohn and Okonjo-Iweala appealed to Nnaji to assist with a power plant dedicated to Aba, following the 22MW Abuja Emergency Power Plant he led a team of Nigerian engineers to build in Abuja from 2000 to 2001 that supplied uninterrupted power to critical places like the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Company, the Central Bank headquarters, the Aso Rock and the entire Central Business District of Abuja.
‘Electricity was rarely available in Aba”, noted Chief Alphonsus Udeigbo, President General of the 22,000-member Aba Landlords Protection and Development Association (ALPANDA), “and when it was available it was so poor that it couldn't power your household appliances, let alone industrial machines”.
The inauguartion of the Geometric Power next Monday, according to Sir Alexander Maduakor, President of the Association of Aba Industrialists, “will mark a new dawn in the country, not just in Aba or Abia State”.
Foundation member of All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Osita Okechukwu, has urged the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) to remove Imo State Governor, His Excellency, Hope Uzodimma as its chairman, before he wrecks our great party.
He made the call while reacting to the shameful bungling of the Edo State Gubernatorial Primary, which Uzodinma chaired.
In a statement in Abuja, Wednesday, the foundation member of APC appealed to the Progressive Governors Forum to as a matter of urgent national importance to remove His Excellency, Hope Uzodinma as chairman for the mismanagement of Edo State Gubernatorial Primary election which regrettably produced three candidates, a sordid scenario not befitting of a progressive party.
Okechukwu wondered why His Excellency Hope Uzodimma who bungled similar assignment in Edo 2020 should be given second assignment and asked how many more malfeasance do we still expect from my big brother, before he is eased out of vital assignments?
He posed critical questions among which are: how can a sane Chairman of APC Governors Forum deliberately breach the extant laws by announcing result with impunity; albeit consigned to the dust bin his elementary knowledge that it is the sole duty of the Returning Officer?
Based on the foregoing, is it appropriate for chairman of Progressive Governors Forum to abandon the more germane issue of advising Mr President alongside with other progressive governors on how best to rescue Nigeria from the dire economic doldrums, thus chasing rat while the house is burning?
“For me it is obvious that Uzodimma seems not understand the demands of his office as Progressive Governors Forum, but chooses to meddle with political assignments, which amounts to chasing rat while the house is on fire.”
Moreover, our party should take serious steps to quickly repair the monumental damage that Governor Hope Uzodimma has done to the image of our national chairman Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, whom he cajoled into endorsement of his cancelled shambolic primary election,”
When reminded that he was one of the key early supporters of Governor Uzodinma, he agreed and said he had apologised for the grievous error and is warning the Progressive Governors Forum to avoid more grave wreckage as chameleon never changed its antics.
Enumerating the serial misfortune harvested by the Imo State Governor, Okechukwu narrated how APC’s misfortunes started with Anambra State gubernatorial primary election which Uzodimma mangled and metastasised during the party’s Congressional elections in the Southeast zone in 2022, which he pocketed.
He stated: “Then, as if that ugly prelude to 2023 general elections was not enough, Governor Uzodimma generated hatred, rancour, malcontents and alienated APC membership long before Peter Obi’s factor.”
“The summary of Uzodimma’s woeful leadership is the 2023 presidential election results in the Southeast, which posted dismal outcomes:
Abia-8,914 against 85,058 in 2019, Anambra-5,111 against 33,298 in 2019, Ebonyi-42,402 against 90,726 in 2019, Enugu-4,722 against 54,423 in 2019 and Imo-66,406 against 140,463 in 2019.” Okechukwu submitted.
[STATE HOUSE PRESS RELEASE] President Tinubu Appoints New Director/Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU)
AdminPresident Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Ms. Hafsat Abubakar Bakari to serve as the Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), pending her confirmation by the Senate.
Ms. Bakari is a lawyer and financial intelligence expert with years of experience in anti-money laundering, counter-terrorism financing, and counter-proliferation financing (AML/CFT/CPF).
Before her appointment as the Chief Executive Officer of the NFIU, she served as Deputy Director at the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, and was at different times the Head of the General Services Unit; Head of the Strategy and Reorientation Unit, and Head of the Board Secretariat of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The President anticipates that Ms. Bakari will bring her wealth of experience and expertise to full discharge in this critical role, especially in view of his administration's war against illicit financial flows and other sharp practices currently prevalent in segments of the nation's foreign exchange markets.
Chief Ajuri Ngelale
Special Adviser to the President
(Media & Publicity)
February 20, 2024
Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), popularly known as fuel or petrol, is currently sold at N1000 per litre in some parts of the country.
Naija News understands that the black market is taking advantage of the recent strike actions by tanker drivers, resulting in a significant increase in the price of petrol.
Journalists inspecting the development observed on Wednesday morning that many filling stations owned by the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria in Lagos State, Ogun State, and surrounding areas were closed.
Also, long queues were observed at stations owned by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited and the Major Energy Marketers Association of Nigeria.
While the black market is selling petrol at N1000 per litre, MEMAN stations such as Eterna, NorthWest, TotalEnergies, Mobil, Capital Oil, Enyo, Conoil, ForteOil, MRS, and others are offering varying prices ranging from N599 to N615 per litre, according to Channels Television.
As a result, more vehicles are flocking to MEMAN stations as consumers search for the stations with the most affordable prices.
Currently, most IPMAN stations are closed due to low product supply. The few stations that have products available are selling petrol for no less than N650 per litre.
Speaking on the development, Chairman Satellite Depot, IPMAN Lagos State, told journalists on Wednesday morning that NNPCL no longer supplies its members with products.
“NNPCL no longer give us products despite the fact that the pipeline in our area has been repaired. We don’t know why they stopped using the pipeline to supply us with products.
“Maybe they fear vandalism. We now rely on private depots who sell to us at an ex-depot price of between N620/N622 per litre. By the time we take the products to our stations, the landing cost will be around N630 or more, depending on the distance from the depot to our stations.
“Some people are selling around N650. It would have been cheaper if we bought directly from NNPCL at around N555 per litre,” he said.
Naija News reports that following strike actions, due to operational challenges faced by members of the National Association of Road Transport Owners and the Petroleum Tanker Drivers, the drivers decided to end the strike on Tuesday.
This decision came after a meeting with the Minister of State Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, oil marketers, and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
NARTO National President, Othman Yusuf, instructed members to promptly resume petroleum loading activities following a meeting in Abuja.
More...
Minister of budget and economic planning, Atiku Bagudu, has urged Nigerians to remain hopeful and keep faith with the government claiming that President Bola Tinubu’s policies aimed at transforming the nation are already bearing fruits and delivering results.
Bagudu, a former governor of Kebbi State, spoke at a national policy summit themed “Activating the Policies and Promises in the Renewed Hope Agenda” organised by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (P-BAT) Academics and Professionals in Abuja.
He said that Nigerians have a reason to be optimistic because they have found a leader in Tinubu who had succeeded before in a leadership capacity by transforming Lagos from what it used to be through inclusive leadership.
“Today, there is a cry for inclusion across the country and we have a leader who believes in inclusion and has practised it in Lagos by creating a state that worked for all, carrying everyone along and allowing them to excel,” he said.
The convener and national coordinator of P-BAT Academics and Professionals, Prof Yemi Oke, informed that P-BAT Academics and Professionals is a group of academics, intellectuals and intellectually minded professionals, whose aim is to volunteer its time, efforts and resources to support President Bola Tinubu.
Oke noted that the group’s views and suggestions have been implemented by some agencies and ministries of government.
He said, “Ahead of this Summit, we organized ‘Pre-Conferences’ and ‘Mini-Summits’ along the 8-point agenda of the Tinubu administration. Those Pre-Conferences and Mini-Summits gave us the opportunity to push out some of our views as ‘Policy Advisors’.
“We are happy to report that a lot of our views and suggestions in those ‘Policy Advisories’ are being implemented by some of the agencies and ministries of government,” he said.
In the same vein, spokesperson of the group, Mrs Mary Ikoku, said: “Nigeria is not absolved from what is happening globally.”
While calling for calm amid hardships caused by the ongoing economic reforms, she said “in the UK you see people who can’t even warm up their homes, they can’t warm themselves from the cold, and that is a country where you could say they don’t have a lot of poor people. They don’t have the multidimensional poverty that you can say Nigeria is trying to work its way out of.”
“Other countries are struggling. We need to give this government time. With the support that people like these academics and professionals are doing, more people should actually do what this group is doing to support the country,” she added.
A retired police commissioner and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State, Chief Osato Iredia, has said by his action, Senator Adams Oshiomhole (APC, Edo North) is setting the stage for the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to produce Godwin Obaseki’s successor.
He alleged that the lawmaker, who served as governor of the state for eight years, is working behind the scene to make PDP favoured aspirant Asuen Ighodalo to win the governorship election in the September 2024.
He told newsmen in Abuja yesterday that there was a bond among Oshiomhole, Obaseki and Ighodalo to govern the state one after the other.
In a statement he issued after the press conference, which was released to LEADERSHIP, the APC leader in Oredo local government area, said he was not surprised about the development.
He said Oshiomhole was imposing an unpopular candidate in the person of Dennis Idahosa from Edo South, on the party at this time, when it was not justifiable.
He added that Oshiomhole’s idea was to present a weaker APC governorship candidate against PDP’s Asuen Ighodalo so that the later could win the election easily.
“If Governor Obaseki had not left the APC, Asuen who is the governorship aspirant of PDP would have been the candidate of APC. Remember how Obaseki left APC? He left with their Lagos friends to PDP.”
Iredia called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the leadership of APC to disregard the Governor Hope Uzodinma result that declared Hon Idahosa as the governorship candidate of APC if the party was serious about winning the September election.
Iredia said, “Oshiomhole from Edo north, Obaseki from Edo South and Ighodalo from Edo Central want to complete the circle in 2024 as they planned it many years ago.
“The people of Edo State across the three senatorial districts are in consonance with zoning except for Oshiomhole who kept encouraging aspirants from across the state to join the race.”
“The only way the party can win the governorship election in September is to adhere to the APC primaries that produced Senator Monday Okpebholo from Edo Central,” he said.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has added a new twist to the controversial primaries for the Edo State Governorship election scheduled for September 21 saying it is yet to be concluded.
The party therefore fixed Thursday, February 22, 2024 for the completion of the process.
The National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Felix Morka, stated these while reading the decision of its National Working Committee (NWC) in a meeting held on Tuesday night.
He said, “At its emergency meeting held today, Tuesday, February 20, 2024, to consider the report on the Edo State Governorship Primary Election, the National Working Committee (NWC) deliberated on the report and resolved that the Edo State Governorship Primary Election has not been completed, and has now fixed Thursday February 22, 2024 for the completion of the Primary Election Process.”
The poll, which was conducted on February 17 had produced three winners.
The Chairman of Electoral Committee of the primary, Governor Hope Uzodimma, had announced Dennis Idahosa as winner, while returning officer, Stanley Ugboaja, declared Monday Okpebholo as winner.
Elsewhere, Ojo Babatunde, who claimed to be representing the returning officers in all the local governments declared Anamero Dekeri as the winner of the election.
Following the confusion that ensued, both Dekeri and Okpebholo had written the appeal committee of the party to demand their certificates of return.
Another aspirant, Prof Oserheimen Osunbor, insisted on Tuesday that no election held in the state contrary to results that were announced.
Addressing journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, Morka disclosed that the election has not been completed, adding that the process will continue on Thursday.
He said, “I am here to give you the outcome of the emergency meeting of the National Working Committee of our party held today regarding Edo State governorship primary election.
“At its emergency meeting held today, Tuesday, February 20, 2024 to consider the report on the Edo governorship primary election, the National Working Committee of our party deliberated and resolved that the governorship primary election has not been completed and has now fixed Thursday, February 22 for the completion of the APC Edo State” primary election process.”
Meanwhile, the party’s National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, had earlier congratulated Idahosa on this emergence as the party’s candidate.
It was nor clear as of press time what led to the decision of the party’s NWC led by Ganduje.
President Bola Tinubu has directed immediate settlement of outstanding electricity bill due to the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company.
A statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, explained that Tinubu’s directive followed the reconciliation of accounts between the State House Management and AEDC.
According to the statement, “Contrary to the AEDC’s initial claim of N923million debt in paid advertorial in newspapers, the State House outstanding bill is N342, 352, 217.46, according to a letter by the management of AEDC to the State House Permanent Secretary dated February 14, 2024.
“Having reconciled the position to the satisfaction of both parties, the Chief of Staff to the President, Rt Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, has given assurance that the debt will be paid to AEDC before the end of this week.
“Following the example of the Presidency, Chief of Staff also urged other MDAs to reconcile their accounts with AEDC and pay their electricity bills.”